Right+of+Expression

The freedom and right of expression, may it be public or private, written or spoken, has proven to be the force of change towards progress since the beginnings of recorded human history. The free flow of ideas is not only necessary to political democracy, but is ultimately responsible for bringing such a form of government into place through the introduction of new ideals and beliefs. The search and exposure of the truth is also greatly linked with this right, acting against all forms of corrupt or fraudulent behaviour by governments. Unreasonable restrictions and suppression on the right of expression, including that of the press, have only been intended to limit the ability of people to debate or question certain topics or issues which could negatively affect the interests of, or even threaten, those in power, as freedom of expression contrastingly limits the ability of a state to subvert other civil rights and liberties. Realizing the authoritarian, undemocratic nature in the censorship and suppression of the media and the people by any government, freedom of expression is entitled to any person and protected as a basic right by most democratic states worldwide and by the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Unfortunately, there is still a lot to be desired, and a lot to be done to truly guarantee the free exercise of the right of expression throughout the globe. //Cartoon condeming the existence of political prisioners, victims on the lack of freedom of speech.//

Currently, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, commonly known as **North Korea**, has become the greatest violator of freedom of expression.


 * Violations on Freedom of Expression**
 * Formal censorship regulations.
 * Total state control of media.
 * Restrictions on private Internet access.
 * Blockage of foreign broadcasts.
 * Zero tolerance for negative manifestations.
 * Use of state violence, imprisonment, intimidation or harrasment against activists and journalists.

North Korea is the most hermetic state in the world. Little is actually known about what occurs inside the country’s borders, and similarly, North Koreans have practically no knowledge about the outside world, that is, other than what their government tells them. Freedom of expression has no borders, but the government does not recognize such a concept, allowing them to block foreign ideas from ‘corrupting’ the minds of North Koreans. All national media is owned and operated by the government, independent journalists are non-existent. Television and radio sets are distributed by the state, and are pre-set so that they cannot receive broadcasts from other nations. Citizens are, of course, forbidden to alter them. Internet and email accounts are banned, and a minimal number of international reporters, let alone visitors, are allowed into the country, creating the most isolated region and the deepest information void on Earth. Domestically, reporters are taught and forced to comply with the ideals of the ruling, and only, political party in North Korea. Any kind of mistake, any kind of deviation from the official point of view, or the slightest of criticisms towards Kim Jong-il, the government, socialism or the nation itself, and severe punishments have been reported to follow for those responsible. A journalist referring to a South Korean politician as a ‘democratic leader’ has been known to have spent several months in a ‘re-education’ or ‘revolutionization’ camp, effectively a prison camp. The same treatment naturally applies to individuals, although these low-profile violations are not known because of the absence of foreign reporters or news agencies in the country. All this facilitates domestic propaganda, allowing the government to create a personality cult for Kim Jong-il and to misinform the population when the country’s leaders deem it in their personal interest to do so without any kind of opposition to impede them from doing so. Because of its severe violations of freedom of expression, North Korea has become today’s most clear example of totalitarianism.
 * Situation in North Korea**



Several human rights associations have been protesting against such widespread violations in North Korea, pamphlets criticizing the government have appeared near the border with China, but apart from that, little else has been done. North Korea is firmly controlled in all aspects of society by an autocratic government, which relies on its violations on freedom of expression to maintain itself in power. For the situation to improve, the country should have to move towards becoming a democratic state, and for that, the current government must be brought down. The encouragement of a rebellion inside North Korea’s borders does not seem possible, leaving only a foreign intervention as a solution. Even though North Korea is viewed as a threat and an enemy by the international community, such an intervention will probably not occur in a foreseeable future, as not many nations are willing to make such a huge sacrifice for the benefit or interests of someone other than themselves, and the additional possibility of failure discourages any thought of bringing democracy into North Korea through external force.



Suppression of freedom of expression through the control of all national media and the punishment for those ‘undermining’ the ruling government is not something new in Europe. Germany, before and under the rule of the National Socialist Party, became a common violator of basic the right of expression. At the time, Hitler kept a status similar to that of Kim Jong-il: complete control of political power, and similarly his actions regarding freedom of expression are very alike. Media and news agencies, before being put completely under the control of the state’s Ministry for Propaganda, were deliberately attacked and reporters were harassed by paramilitary groups if they criticized the government or opposed the Nazi ideology. Mandatory education, resembling that of North Korean journalists, taught students the official point of view, and close police monitoring insured that ideas against the regime did not spread. The German state, just as in North Korea’s case, dictated what was right and wrong and left no space for argument or opposition. Such actions completely suppressed the ability of people to speak according to their beliefs, and consolidated both entities as totalitarian dictatorships.



Nazi Germany was brought down by a long and costly war. Such a price was not paid to guarantee basic human rights in Germany. The reaction of the time in response to the violation of the right of expression itself was not significant, mainly due to the fact that the ‘problem’ seemed foreign and distant to many. Additionally, the nation itself was viewed as an enemy and a threat, and the hatred resulting from such impeded others from acting to protect basic rights in Germany. Same applies to North Korea. The widespread movement to secure human rights worldwide is, in practice, mostly ignored when speaking of an enemy state in political terms. Differences in governments, sadly, obstruct humanitarian works, and prevent the governments themselves from aiding. A complex problem does not usually have a simple solution. To bring about change in the current human rights situation in North Korea, especially the right of free speech, the international community must look to put internal pressure, whatever the extent, on the North Korean government. Actions should be taken to provide North Koreans with free access to information, to open their minds and provide encouragement for those who seek change and freedom. Radio and television broadcasts must be made available, independent, or even clandestine, newspapers, organizations and news agencies must be supported. In other words, limitations on freedom of expression must be fought against using that same force, expression, and its effective distribution. Only by freeing North Koreans from the government’s propagandistic monopoly and helping them to freely speak their minds while providing constant outside support, including the use of force if ultimately needed, will the current oppressive regime be brought down and will basic expression rights be guaranteed. Human rights are constantly violated in the interests of the few in power. Free nations must act to prevent the suppression of human rights, for the simple mission of helping those in need.

=[|House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Comittee Statement on North Korea]= =[|CPJ Report on the Ten Most Censored Countries]= [|Reporters Without Borders Report on North Korea] =[|Human Rights Report on North Korea]= =[|BBC News Article on North Korean Media]=